Peter Hermann

Some pressed against chain-link fences, straining for a better view of the hurtling cars. Others mingled in white tents, struggling to be heard over thundering engines. And an elderly woman perched on the edge of her car, craning for a better view of the unfamiliar spectacle.

After years of planning, months of street-clogging roadwork and days of elaborate construction, the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix roared into reality Friday.

Gleaming low-slung cars ripped around the two-mile track near the Inner Harbor, while racing celebrities scrawled autographs and posed for photos with fans in the Baltimore Convention Center, which was transformed into a paddock area.

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Some pressed against chain-link fences, straining for a better view of the hurtling cars. Others mingled in white tents, struggling to be heard over thundering engines. And an elderly woman perched on the edge of her car, craning for a better view of...